From his high-density 2001 planting, Baron's 2009 Syrah Armada Vineyard leads with a high-toned, penetrating nose that one can scarcely avoid calling Cote Rotie-like: bacon fat, fresh cherry, kirsch, framboise, and violet. But there are also black tea, caramel, and a penetrating note of sealing wax that's reminiscent of mature Bordeaux. Around one quarter of the 600-liter barrels in which this was raised (following fermentation in a mixture of cement and wood) were new. Dense, fine-grained but more evident tannins than in most of the present collection appear on a palate whose savory salinity and saliva-inducement, however, are utterly Cayuesque. The interplay of flavors here is kaleidoscopic and at the same time almost eye-squintingly bright. What's more, as the wine opens to the air, a real layering and interplay emerges of diverse carnal elements alone: smoked meat, game, bloody roasted red meat, marrow and bone meal. This Syrah's phenomenal sense of energy as well as of sheer, sappy, expansive presence, make for a finish whose vibratory intensity shakes-up my entire mouth. A truly awesome effort, it will surely be worth following for at least 15 years, though I've a hunch ' without knowing how Baron's earliest wines (which were surely different in important respects anyway) have matured ' that it will reward for significantly longer. (And if you wonder what Baron can do for an encore to such a performance, just sit tight for a year or two!) I'm relieved I didn't consider it necessary to 'scoreâ?� this wine any higher, otherwise I'd have left no room to express symbolically that the best is yet to come.

Author: David SchildknechtIssue: 204

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Wine Spectator | Rating: 93

Polished, displaying restraint to the blackberry and dark plum flavors that float easily over the polished finish and linger alongside
notes of black olive and smoke.

Drink Dates:
2013-2020
Author: Harvey Steiman

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